I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Keith Lightning for his Radical Liberation series, check out the video below. We talked mostly about the book, but you know I like to go deep. Great conversation with a great friend. Love!

Book launches are strange things. On one hand, it’s terrifying to put a book out into the world at all – on the other hand, I’m excited. As terrifying as it might be, I want to share the finished product of my latest creative dance with the divine. I’ve found myself hoping that it changes just one person’s life for the better, or inspires people to live a life that brings them more joy and freedom.

When I started writing The Conscious Entrepreneur last year, my goal was to share some of the principles that helped me the most through my entrepreneurial journey and, in a broader sense, the principles that have shaped my life for the past 15 years. I wrote this book for a lot of reasons – for starters, I wanted to pass along the pieces of wisdom that have helped my clients the most. I also wanted to share the lessons I’ve learned, and the things I need to remind myself of most. Essentially, I wrote the book I need to constantly re-read for my own growth. I also wrote this book because I want everyone, ALL OF US, to suffer less. And, I wrote this book so my daughter would have a permanent record of the things I truly believed would help her to live her best life.

I just couldn’t get over the fact that it felt totally awkward to have a book launch event. Yes, I want people to know about the book, because I deeply trust it will help anyone who reads it to suffer less, and easing the suffering of others is one of the central missions of my life. But, self-promotion makes my stomach churn. I kept imagining how weird it would be to tell people to come to an event to buy a book, written by me, signed by me, at an event starring me. No. Just, no. I had yet to come up with a way to solve this dilemma when I met with my sweet friend, Natalie, for lunch.

We met up at her new work space in Annapolis so I could give her an advance copy of my book and we could have some soul sister time. Natalie Franke and Krista Jones (along with their husbands Hugh and Davey) founded the Rising Tide Society – an educational community for creative entrepreneurs. They had just moved into their beautiful new space on West Street and Natalie was telling me about their vision for the space. It would be a space that would be more than just an office for Rising Tide business; it would also function as a community space for local creatives to use. It was during our chat that the idea to hold a launch event for the book in this special space was born. I got really clear about the fact that what mattered to me most was having the event itself be in alignment with the core principles that I share in the book, especially the principle of service.

What if we could hold an event that wasn’t about me but was about what matters to me? What if I could work with awesome people to create a win-win for everyone? What if there was a way to get my book in the hands of others with the hope that it will serve them, AND have all the proceeds serve something even greater? Yes. Absolutely, positively YES. I decided that I would launch the book at an event for charity, as an opportunity to benefit the causes and people I loved.

Back in 2012, I performed a beautiful and touching vow-renewal ceremony for Tom and Allison Barnhill. Ironically it was a “book themed” reception. I got to know them and their two sweet children, one of whom is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The Barnhills started a local 501(c)3 charity based here in Annapolis called the Avergan Foundation, whose mission is to promote awareness and acceptance of ASDs and to provide hope to affected families. The Avergan Foundation’s cause is particularly close to my heart, because both of my partner Evan’s sons are also on the spectrum. So choosing Avergan represented another win-win; I could support a cause close to my family, friends, and community. WIN!

I’m so grateful that several of my fellow wedding industry professionals have come together to make this event so special. Charlotte Jarrett of Charlotte Jarrett Events has taken on the task of planning all of the event logistics – in the height of wedding season no less – and I couldn’t have done this without her. Special thanks as well to Allison Barnhill of Allison Barnhill Designs and The Avergan Foundation for all her hard work getting this event set up and coordinating our ticketing and sponsors.

And, because we wanted to give an opportunity to the entire Rising Tide Society community and anyone who can’t travel to the event to be able to offer their support, we’ve created a special offer: If you purchase a paperback copy of The Conscious Entrepreneur: A Guide to Maximizing Your Potential for Success, Freedom, and Happiness from Amazon anytime between July 20-25, 2016 and email a copy of your proof of purchase to info@lauraccannon.com, we will donate a portion of every paperback copy you purchase directly to the Avergan Foundation.

I sincerely hope you will join me in raising money for such a worthy cause – thank you for your support!